International News
Air Canada Flight Attendants Vow To Continue Strike, Hold Talks
Striking Air Canada flight attendants vowed Monday to defy another back-to-work order from the country’s labour tribunal, but resumed talks seeking to end a walkout that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide.
Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting the airline had failed to address their demands for higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding.
Canada’s national carrier, which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad, said the strike had forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people.
Over the weekend, Federal Labour Minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration.
Following Hajdu’s intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribunal, ordered the flight attendants back to work Sunday.
The flight attendants’ union said it would defy the order, forcing Air Canada to walk back plans to partially restore service.
CIRB regulators upped the pressure Monday.
It ordered the union “to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities,” Air Canada said in a statement.
The tribunal gave the Canadian Union of Public Employees until 12:00 pm (1600 GMT) to communicate to members that they “are required to resume the performance of their duties,” the carrier added.
Speaking after that deadline, CUPE president Mark Hancock told reporters the solution “has to be found at a bargaining table,” and that the union will not respect the tribunal’s ruling.
“None of us want to be in defiance of the law,” he said, but stressed the union would not waver in advocating for people asked to work hours on the ground during flight delays without “getting paid a dime.”
If Air Canada “thinks that planes will be flying this afternoon, they’re sorely mistaken,” Hancock said.
The union said later Monday that it had resumed talks with the airline as part of “continued attempts to reach a fair deal.”
The evening meetings were taking place in Toronto with the assistance of a mediator, William Kaplan, CUPE’s Air Canada component said in a statement on Facebook.
But it added that “at this time, the strike is still on, and the talks have just commenced.”
– Carney ‘disappointed’ –
Rafael Gomez, an industrial relations expert at the University of Toronto, told AFP the union may be on solid legal footing.
The provision “is written in such a way that it’s really for a situation where strikes have gone on a long time and there’s no way forward,” he said, suggesting that standard could not credibly apply to a strike that is just a few days old.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday it was “disappointing” that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union did not produce an agreement.
“We recognise very much the critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe as they travel,” he said.
“It is important that they’re compensated equitably.”
But, he added, Canada faced a situation where hundreds of thousands of citizens and visitors were facing travel uncertainty.
On Thursday, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would, on average, make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027.
CUPE has described Air Canada’s offers as “below inflation (and) below market value.”
In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage would exacerbate the economic pinch already being felt from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
AFP
International News
Nottingham Forest Sacks 5th Manager In 10 Months, To Wrap Up Oliver Glasner’s Deal
Oliver Glasner is in advanced talks to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest head coach, a move which would see the Austrian become the club’s fifth manager in less than a year.
Pereira announced his departure from the club in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it came as a “complete surprise to me and without any warning”.
Glasner is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace — where he won the FA Cup in 2024-25 and then the Community Shield and Conference League the following campaign — and is set to stay in the Premier League.
The 51-year-old confirmed in January that he would leave Palace at the end of the season after two years in charge.
On Thursday, Forest confirmed Pereira’s coaching staff Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes had all left the club alongside the head coach.
Pereira, 57, was appointed Forest head coach in February on an 18-month contract which runs until 2027.
The Athletic reported in May Forest had been planning to show their faith in Pereira by handing the head coach a new long-term contract, but those talks were subsequently put on hold.
“Today marks the end of my journey as head coach of Nottingham Forest,” he said in his statement.
“I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone connected with this incredible football club. Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future.
“Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.
“Together, we enjoyed a memorable end to the season. We secured the club’s Premier League status, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and created moments that will stay with me forever. Most importantly, I saw a group of players grow in confidence, belief and togetherness.
“I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment—only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories. Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”
The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche and was Forest’s fourth permanent boss of the season following the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
Nuno had led Forest to Europa League qualification the previous season but he departed in September, less than three months after signing a new deal. Postecoglou was appointed his replacement but was dismissed just 39 days later. Dyche took charge of the team in October before his dismissal in February.
Forest were three points above the relegation zone when Pereira was appointed and he subsequently steered his side to Premier League safety with two games of the campaign remaining.
His appointment marked his second managerial spell in the Premier League after guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety during the 2024-25 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly countered suggestions from his sister, Katia Aveiro, that he intends to retire from international football following the World Cup.
The Portuguese legend recently led his team to the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Croatia.
Ronaldo continued to be a pivotal player for his country, having scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot after going one goal down in the second half.
Following his goal, he became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Reports from Portuguese media had quoted Aveiro stating that the current tournament would be Ronaldo’s final appearance for the national team.
Before the recent match against Croatia, Aveiro was quoted as saying, “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it. I strongly believe this is the farewell.”
However, the football icon has made it clear that his focus remains solely on the present, not on his future.
“My future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo stated. “I’ll have time; after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.”
The legendary forward, who recently secured a trophy in Saudi Arabia, holds the record for both appearances and goals for his national team, with 146 goals in 232 caps.
The UEFA Appeals Body has announced that Czech club Karvina is banned from participating in next season’s Europa League. UEFA made the decision based on competition regulations, ruling that Karvina “directly or indirectly participated in activities aimed at manipulating or influencing the results of domestic matches,” as stated in the official resolution.
As a result of this decision, Karvina’s spot as domestic cup winner will be taken by Viktoria Plzeň, with Viktoria Plzeň’s second qualifying round spot going to Hradec Králové. Jablonec will fill the vacant Conference League spot originally held by Hradec Králové.
In the Europa League, Hradec Králové will face Tromsø. In the Conference League, Jablonec will face Varaždin.
Viktoria Plzeň will learn their opponent in the Europa League playoff draw on Monday, August 3.
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